The present invention relates generally to monitoring systems and sensing apparatus for utility vehicles, and more particularly to control circuitry for sensing systems and sensing apparatus used in utility vehicles, e.g. farm machinery and tractors.
Many modern utility vehicles, and particularly farm tractors, utilize various monitoring systems or sensing apparatus to monitor the activities of the vehicle. For example, common sensing apparatus monitors the distance the tractor has traveled and the time the tractor has been operated. In addition to detecting and displaying this data, the data can be inputted to computer systems, either alone or in combination, to determine further important characteristics regarding the operation of the vehicle and its operator. For example, by monitoring the distance a tractor has traveled, the computer system can determine the amount acreage covered. Furthermore, by using this data in conjunction with the amount of time the tractor has been operated the computer system can determine the efficiency of the operator""s use of the tractor.
Unfortunately, the sensing apparatus and their computational counterparts provide information which does not accurately reflect the effective use of the vehicle. For example, the distance the tractor has traveled over the course of its operation does not directly translate into the amount of farming acres covered by the tractor. The distance traveled while turning the tractor around, backing up, moving from one row to another, from field to field, or even merely traveling from the storage facility to the particular field to be farmed, are distances detected and computed that were not spent working a field. The same principle holds true for the time sensor, and the various other sensors commonly employed. It can therefore be seen that the current system results in an inaccurate portrayal of computed values such as the number of acres covered and hours spent doing so.
In light of the above, a general object of the present invention is to provide a utility vehicle having sensing apparatus that produces more accurate data regarding the use of the vehicle.
In that regard, it is also an object of the present invention to accomplish the above objective with little or no additional effort required from the vehicle operator.
It is related object of the present invention to produce more accurate data regarding the effective use of a utility vehicle in a simple and economical manner.
In accordance with these objects, the present invention provides an electronic circuit for a utility vehicle having a sensing apparatus for detecting data regarding the vehicle and a control for operating implements used in conjunction with the vehicle. The electronic circuit is operatively coupled to the sensing apparatus to provide more accurate data regarding effective use of the vehicle.
It is a feature of the present invention that the electronic circuit operates in two modes including: a first mode allowing operation of the sensing apparatus, and a second mode disabling operation of the sensing apparatus.
It is another feature of the present invention to operatively couple the electronic circuit between a power source of the utility vehicle and the sensing apparatus to regulate the supply of power therebetween. In the first mode, the electronic circuit allows power flow to the sensing apparatus. In the second mode, the electronic circuit denies power flow to the sensing apparatus.
It is a further feature of the present invention to operatively link the electronic circuit to a control that operates implements used in conjunction with the vehicle. Thus, when the operator uses the control to operate an implement, the sensing apparatus is automatically regulated to provide more accurate data regarding the actual use of the utility vehicle. Further, the operator need not expend any additional effort for the sensing apparatus to provide more accurate data.
It is yet another feature of the present invention that the electronic circuit operates in either the first or second mode based upon the implement being in either an active position or an inactive position. This feature may be accomplished either through the operative coupling of the electronic circuit to the implement control, or through operative coupling of the electronic circuit to a remote sensing apparatus that detects the implement being in the active and inactive positions, such as a position sensor.